Hephaestion's Firstborn
by Quadrantje
Summary: AU Hephaestion and Alexander on the day that Hephaestion's first child comes into the world. AH
1. A Father's Love

This story is dedicated to Grace, whose gentle but persistent encouragement kept the Alexander fandom always in my mind, though never as a burden. Without her I doubt I would ever have returned to this fandom or researched this fascinating bit of history. So here is my birthday present to her. This is also for my grandmother, whose eighty-seventh birthday is tomorrow. It was she who passed along her love for the ancient world to me, thereby shaping a large part of my professional as well as my personal life. I doubt she would approve of this version of events and I'm sure I'll never show her, but I dedicate it to her anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from either history or Oliver Stone's movie, on which I draw for a lot of this. After all, who isn't in love with Jared Leto's Hephaestion?

**A Father's Love (1 of 3)**

'Now remember, Hephaestion,' Alexander teased his friend good-naturedly, 'if you do not give him your name I will be forced to name my next son so.' At his words, Hephaestion's anxious eyes looked back at him, his features still marred by the grimace that had taken residence there since he'd been informed Drypteis was having her lie-in. Alexander grinned at him wickedly. 'Someone should carry on your name and if it's not your own son then it will be mine.' Hephaestion was still staring at him with frightened eyes. 'Well go on, go meet your son!' Alexander enthused, giving his unmoving friend a shove in the right direction. This prompted Hephaestion into action and he hesitantly followed the servant girl into his wife's chambers, looking for all the world like he was going to his own execution. Alexander grinned at his friend's silly behaviour.

The girl stopped next to a bassinet and Hephaestion drew to a halt beside her, shooting a glance at the bed where Drypteis was sleeping the sleep of the exhausted before looking into the bassinet.

'Your daughter, my lord,' the girl said before moving over to the bed to check on her mistress. At her words, Alexander felt a stab of disappointment run through him. A daughter. No heir for his dear friend, no son for him to teach the arts of horsemanship and war craft, to inherit his gentle and steadfast temper, to be a companion in all to his own son, like his father had been to him. Then he looked at his friend as he bent over the bassinet to look at his daughter, a look of wonder washing over his face and stealing his breath.

'My daughter,' Hephaestion whispered, reaching down to touch the child, and after a moment's hesitation he traced a featherlike path down her rosy cheek. At the touch, the infant's eyes opened slowly and Alexander drew in a breath, drawing unconsciously closer to the bassinet when he saw the cerulean eyes that he had known through years of love remade for this little creature.

The girl who'd led them in stepped forward from the oblivion the two men had resigned her to to lift the infant from her bed and place her in her father's arms, before silently blending into the shadows again. Hephaestion gazed at his daughter with awe before looking up at Alexander who saw that his eyes were bright with tears and an almost overflowing love.

'I have a daughter, Alexander,' he said, his voice hoarse, the Greek as coarse as when they were boys. Alexander could only grin back at him, overcome by Hephaestion's happiness. Hephaestion only held his eyes for a moment before looking back at the child cradled in his arms, unable to draw his eyes away for long. 'Cassandra,' he said, almost whispering the name against her forehead as he placed a gentle kiss there, 'I'll call you Cassandra.'

Alexander, able to get his emotions under control now that he wasn't caught in Hephaestion's gaze, couldn't resist a small tease. 'What has Cassander done to deserve this honour?' he quipped, imagining Cassander's face when he learned he had a namesake in Hephaestion's daughter.

The question earned him the return of Hephaestion's gaze who, with simple honesty said, 'Cassander cannot help that in name, he is part of you. Cassandra is merely a variation of Alexandra.' His words rendered Alexander speechless and, unable to hold his friend's gaze, he found himself carefully studying the child. Though he knew Cassander would find it an insult to have the daughter of Hephaestion named after him, he couldn't help but feel humbled by it. And he decided as he gazed at her that, aside from her father, this little girl might be the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

_**To Be Continued**_


	2. An Uncle's Enthusiasm

Thank you for everyone who reviewed, I'm always surprised by the incredible kindness of the people in this fandom.

**An Uncle'****s Enthusiasm (2 of 3)**

Alexander had still thought Hephaestion's daughter charming when she began to fuss, scrunching up her little nose in the most endearing fashion, but when she started an all out howling he was more than eager to leave her to the care of women. Hephaestion's expression however hadn't changed and he was still looking at the child as if she were a little nymph, seemingly unperturbed by her loud cries. Alexander wondered if he even heard her loud wailing and felt sorely tempted to give his friend a good head-clearing shake, but before he could act on this thought, the servant girl intervened. She lifted the little imp from the arms of her softly protesting father, claiming the little thing was hungry, and without hesitation kicked both of her noble lords out of her mistress' room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Alexander, now protected from the worst of the wailing, immediately forgot about the brief discomfort his ears had been subjected to and returned to his earlier delight, wrapping an arm around his dear friend's shoulders. As he led Hephaestion away from his daughter, Alexander enthusiastically started on grand plans to celebrate the beginning of his young niece's life, which he extolled to Hephaestion in grandiose gestures from the arm not around his friend. His exceedingly extravagant schemes involving offerings to the gods passed without comment from the new father, who was still in a world of his own, but when Alexander began loudly debating the merits of each goldsmith known to men even thoughts of his young daughter could no longer take precedence in Hephaestion's mind.

'Jewellery, Alexander?' he exclaimed, more amused than bewildered, having become more than familiar with Alexander's sudden bursts of passion over the years, 'She can't even hold up her own head yet!' Alexander turned to his friend, ready to argue the point ardently, but was caught in the sheer happiness shining from Hephaestion's eyes. Without a thought for possible passing servants or friends, he pinned Hephaestion to the wall, pressing a hard kiss to his lips. When they separated, he gazed at him, speechless, his face only an inch from his lover's. Hephaestion returned his gaze readily, for once unconcerned that someone might see them, alight with a sheer bliss Alexander realized he had hardly ever before seen in his lover. For a moment he felt jealousy soar in his gut, but the happiness in Hephaestion's eyes was so all encompassing he quickly felt it extend to him, erasing his momentary weakness. Even had it been brought on by another lover and not a child, Alexander realized, he couldn't have begrudged Hephaestion anything if it gave him such pleasure as this. His jealousy out of the way, Alexander was once again free to see how glorious his lover appeared in this state of happiness. At the image, his lust surged, and he saw Hephaestion's eyes darken correspondingly. Without hesitation, he initiated a second kiss, to which Hephaestion quickly responded with equal passion, pressing Alexander's body into his own as if to draw him in, trying to make him partner in his own bliss.

'Promise me you'll give Cassandra no gifts until she has use for them, Alexander,' Hephaestion demanded when they'd parted, breathless. Alexander started to protest, but refrained when he saw the resolve in his friend's gaze, unwilling to quarrel over anything when they were both feeling such joy.

'I promise,' he agreed instead, and then, unable to stop the wicked thought 'I'll just wait to shower her with gifts until the day she marries my son.' Hephaestion seemed stunned by the very notion, and somewhat disturbed, which Alexander decided not to take personally. Instead, he leaned in to steal another kiss.

_**To Be Continued**_


	3. Their Friends' Celebration

Sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up, girls. I had planned to post it on thursday, but with the new schoolyear about to begin time seems to be running away from me.

**Their Friends' Celebration (3 of 3)**

Their quickly escalating passion was interrupted by joyful voices coming from around the bend. For once it was Alexander who pulled away in fear of being discovered, while Hephaestion, his face stretched into a languid smile, continued to lean against the wall. He felt so utterly blissful, in love with the world itself, that he couldn't bring himself to worry. Instead, he was left to grin as Alexander, usually the daring one out of the two of them, worrying in his place, dragged him away from the wall just seconds before Nearchus and Ptolemy stepped into view.

His loud shout upon seeing them and the heavy arm he threw around Hephaestion – uncaring or unaware that Alexander hurriedly had to step out of the way to avoid getting knocked over in the process – made clear that Nearchus at least was already well into his cups. Without delay he began to tug Hephaestion in the direction of the banquet hall, Alexander and Ptolemy trailing behind the two, while beginning a long and loudly-spoken tale of where they were going. Ptolemy, leaning closer to Hephaestion to be heard over Nearchus' monologue, supplied them with the quick summery of his words: they had heard that Drypteis had born her babe and so their friends were holding a party to celebrate the birth of Hephaestion's first child. At this Nearchus, completely unperturbed by Ptolemy's interruption, decided that they didn't need to hear his whole story when they already knew the ending and cut off somewhere half-way to enquire Hephaestion equally loudly after the sex of his child. Hephaestion had no time to answer him before his friend was congratulating him on the birth of his son, shaking him so hard that Alexander had to cut in to inform him Drypteis had born a daughter, not a son. His timely interruption saved Hephaestion from being shaken to death, though the consoling hug Nearchus then bestowed on him was almost equally breath-robbing. Luckily for the new father, they reached the banquet hall then, which freed him from his drunken friend who was too busy proclaiming the birth of Hephaestion's daughter to one and all to notice Hephaestion himself slipping from his grasp.

Upon hearing the news, all his gathered friends congratulated Hephaestion on his child, assuring him it was sure to be a boy next time. Hephaestion laughed at their assurances, proclaiming how happy he felt with the daughter Drypteis bore him, and the exuberant hugs he bestowed on his friends were quick to drive his point home. When Perdiccas asked him about the name his child would bear he was glad to answer him, sparing a quick smile at Alexander as he did. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Cassander, who had been rather sullen before and the only one not to offer congratulations, stiffen perceptibly when he heard the name, his mouth turning down in disgust, but he paid him little attention as he suddenly noticed Alexander's quiet behaviour. The king hadn't said a word since they'd entered the room and the couch he'd chosen was to the side, somewhat hidden. He seemed content to just sit there, nursing a cup of diluted wine, smiling warmly at Hephaestion when their eyes met. It went completely against his normal extroverted behaviour and was a decided change from how he'd acted the rest of the day. This morning, while they were waiting for Cassandra to be born, he'd talked without stopping, listing every name from Amyntor to Olympos for his friend's son, before finally settling on Hephaestion. And again the moment they'd left Drypteis' room, his mind as well as his mouth had not stopped coming up with outrageous ideas.

Hephaestion didn't get the chance to ponder Alexander's behaviour any further as Cassander, who had been slowly simmering with resentment, noticed him staring at Alexander. 'Already planning a wedding, Hephaestion?' he asked scornfully, 'want your daughter to have the same kind of _grip_ on the future king as you do? A dynasty of the kings' whores?'

Hephaestion recoiled at his foul words, feeling not only their slap but also the return of the queasiness he'd felt when Alexander had mentioned his daughter marrying. He realised now as he had not then that it was because it reminded him of the role his daughter would have to play, as all women did, of a wife, a mother, and nothing more. She could never share in young Alexander's life as he had shared Alexander's. And he wished he could lift those boundaries, just for her.

As he hesitated, momentarily absorbed in his thoughts, Cassander was ready to take his chance and strike deeper, but Alexander's words were faster. 'You know I proposed the very thing to Hephaestion just a few moments before Ptolemy and Nearchus ran into us,' he announced merrily to his companions, swaying the tone of the conversation from insult to a good joke with his wide grin. 'But he would not hear of it! Gave me that same sickly look he's wearing right now, see. What do you say, my friends, should I be offended that he doesn't consider my son good enough for his daughter?' Alexander's diversion worked, the men were quickly shouting teasing remarks at all three of them, all insult forgotten and only Alexander's fondness remembered. Alexander's eyes however remained fixed on Cassander, berating him with his gaze until Cassander lowered his eyes. When the commotion passed, he once again reclined back on his couch, just watching the celebration.

Hephaestion couldn't keep his eyes off him. He now realized that Alexander was consciously stepping back to allow himself to be the centre of attention, only speaking up to stand by him, defend him. With that knowledge, his love for him burned even brighter. Throughout the night, though he celebrated with exuberance, his eyes kept returning to his king, often catching his lover's gaze being directed at him.

Finally, when most of the night had gone, Hephaestion looked up from his conversation with Perdiccas just in time to see Alexander slip out of the room almost unnoticed. Quickly ending his talk, Hephaestion stood up from his couch, loudly proclaimed his intention to retire – for those of his friends still clear-headed enough to hear him – and followed him out.

He caught up with Alexander just outside the king's bedroom, pressing him up against the wall as Alexander had done him earlier that day, catching his lover by surprise. 'Weren't you going to give me a real celebration, Alexander?' he purred seductively, delighted when Alexander responded with the wild, almost maniacal grin he always wore when he was about to do battle. With a lightning-fast move, he turned Hephaestion around, reversing their roles, pressing Hephaestion's hands firmly against the wall as he captured a demanding kiss. As their tongues did battle, one of Hephaestion's hands broke free of its confinement and sneaked behind him, revealing that it was not a wall but the door to his room that Alexander had pushed him against, causing both of them to tumble into the king's bedroom when their support gave way.

ooo

Late the next morning, the chiliarch and his king once again visited the small, newborn girl called Cassandra, bearing with them armloads of gifts for both mother and child.

_**Fine**_

Dear readers, Elpis of Hope and I have been pondering the idea to organize a gift exchange for the Alexander fandom. A gift exchange in this case is a writing challenge whereby everyone who enters gets a prompt, created by another participant, and then has to write a story to it. At the end, the stories are send to the person whose prompt was used. So that means that everyone who enters both gives and receives a gift (a story). As someone who is continuously surprised and humbled by the incredible kindness and generosity of the people in this fandom, it seems to me that this might be the best crowd for such an exchange. Believe me, it is great fun. The details - such as kind of prompt, length of story, deadline, etc. - have yet to be decided upon and are subject to your input. If you think you might like to participate or if you have any questions or suggestions, please give Elpis or me a shout. I hope to see you all at the kick-off. Best wishes to you all.


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